Chapter Ten
Ten
The party had more than started by the time I got there.
It was supposed to be a silent disco, but there was plenty of noise as people bopped away together around the swimming pool.
It was too late to join in now, surely. Maybe I could give it a miss – would anyone really notice if I had an early night?
I scanned the crowd, and Dahlia caught my eye across the pool, immediately running over with a set of headphones. Damn.
‘Oh, hey! Thanks, Dahlia, but honestly, I’m not really a disco kind of person…
’ She ignored my protest and popped them over my ears.
The soulful depths of Kate Bush plugged straight into my brain, and I couldn’t help but start running up that hill.
Brooke was swaying with her eyes closed on one of the podiums, both arms in the air, on her way to The Upside Down, and the room was alive with flashing headsets in electric blue, acid red and luminous green.
Heidi was shimmying in the corner, slurping a dirty martini full of olives and Barbie Queue was quite the spectacle in a black and white ball gown, complete with turtle dove head-dress.
The music was all-consuming and took me straight back to the multicoloured dance floors in sticky Bootle nightclubs.
I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to find Leo holding out a glass of fizz.
My heart jumped at how handsome he looked in double denim, giving cowboy vibes with his brown leather belt and boots.
‘HI!!! THANKS!!!’
His eyes twinkled as he put a finger to his lips. ‘You’re shouting,’ he mouthed.
‘AM I??!! SORRY.’ I gave him a pained look and pointed to my headphones. Kate Bush, champagne and zero conversation. Yes, please.
The music switched to the Grease mega mix and my fingers automatically started clicking.
Leo and Zach joined in, but were weirdly awkward, jerking out of time and missing the beat, while I pointed around the room to ‘Greased Lightning’.
Leo did a couple of robotic moves, then watched me for a second, clearly bemused.
Maybe he didn’t know the dance. Surely he did?
Everyone did. He tapped his headset changing it from blue to green then mirrored my movements, throwing himself into the pointing while Zach moonwalked off to the bar.
I nodded encouragingly, trying to show him the next move each time so he could join in, and laughed as he jumped on the spot for the speed-clapping finale.
And I thought I was high energy. The moon grinned overhead as the song reached its Summer Ni-hiiiights crescendo and Leo pulled the straw out of his Tequila Sunrise and pointed it up at the stars.
Clearly a move he’d done before as he stood still for dramatic effect.
I looked up at him lovingly, à la Sandra Dee, to stay in character.
We were both panting from the effort of the performance as I slipped off my headphones to take a breather and Leo grabbed the champagne to refill my glass.
‘Thanks,’ I said, out of breath.
‘Courtesy of Excalibur Cruises,’ he replied.
‘I mean for pouring. It’s nice to be looked after for once.’
‘That’ll be my rigorous client service training,’ he said with a wink. ‘Keep everyone topped up – that’s what my old boss used to say. In every possible way. Tea, drinks, laughs. Marketable PR insights…’
‘Wow, he sounds fun.’
‘Massive extrovert with a massive brain.’
‘Much like myself then – thanks for the tip.’
He laughed. ‘Or it could just be my natural Northern hospitality gene.’
‘I thought you were from Chelsea?’
‘Haha, I wish. I live in Chelsea now – or close enough, at least. No, I’m a born and bred Mancunian.’
‘Are you?’ This guy was full of surprises. Every time I thought I’d got the measure of him, he threw his cards in the air again and told me something new. ‘They say the Mancs are the friendliest people in the UK.’
‘I like to think so. Friendly, charming, hilarious…’
‘Let’s not push it.’
‘And excellent hosts,’ he said, with another wink, pouring the remaining champagne into an empty glass. ‘Speaking of which, my soon-to-be client seems to be without a drink.’
Leo marched off towards Brooke as Zach returned with a freshly poured pint and sat down. ‘Was that a hot new take?’
‘Was what?’
‘That dance you were doing. A hot new take on “Thriller”.’ He flicked his fringe, pulling a blond curl out of his eyes. ‘I don’t remember there being so much thrusting.’
‘Why would I be dancing to “Thriller”? It was from Grease?’
Zach pointed around the pool at the silent dancers, moving around like confused woodlice. ‘Different colours for different decades. Seventies green, eighties blue and nineties red. Me and Leo were in the zombie graveyard.’
‘Oh,’ I said, looking down at my luminous green neck. Leo was laughing with Brooke, probably at my overenthusiastic teaching style, and I cringed. Of course he bloody knew ‘Greased Lightning’. He just couldn’t hear it. He’d switched from his own song to dance with me.
‘Nice of Leo to play along,’ I mumbled. Zach raised his eyebrows and took a mouthful of his pint. ‘Is he a big John Travolta fan?’
‘Not that I know of.’
‘Hey, you two!’ Heidi launched herself on us out of nowhere. ‘Isn’t this brilliant?’
‘No,’ Zach replied.
‘Oh, come on, Elfie – live a little. You used to be fun.’ She grabbed his cheeks and squidged them together, nearly losing her balance.
Elfie?
‘I’m still fun, don’t worry about that,’ he said, with a smile. ‘Depending on who I’m with.’
‘Is Elfie a code name?’ I asked, too curious not to, and Heidi snorted with laughter.
‘It’s because of his ears,’ she shrieked, pulling them out from under his hair. ‘Elfie Evans we used to call him. See how pointy they are?’
Zach’s curls had been covering his ears, but now she’d popped them out, I could see what she meant.
‘Hands off the Spocks, Gizmo,’ Zach said, putting his hands on hers. ‘We can’t not mention your nickname, now can we? You always were a nightmare after a drink.’
Heidi rolled her eyes. ‘I don’t remember you complaining before. Who wants another?’
‘Not me,’ I said, waving my champers.
Zach gulped half his lager down and stood up. ‘Go on then. I’ll come with and check out the cocktails. An espresso martini might be in order.’
I took another look at my ‘dance partner’, who was back to glowing blue and Voguing in sync with Brooke.
Leo had made them head mics out of straws and his gaze was on her completely.
The same old off-the-shelf razzle-dazzle he’d given me.
He obviously wasn’t my dance partner, or Brooke’s for that matter.
Not really. He was a schmooze-fest for hire and would likely dance with anyone given half a chance and a chunk of their business.
I put my headphones back on as Arlo walked past and I grabbed his hand. Everyone had someone to dance with except me, and the champers had removed any sense of self-respect or shame that might otherwise have stopped me.
‘Is everything OK?’ he mouthed widely, his moustache on the run as I vigorously YMCA-d at him.
‘Sorry, I haven’t got…’ He pointed to his naked ears with an apologetic shrug and tried to walk past, but I put my headphones on him to share the joy of the Village People.
He looked very confused and possibly slightly… scared.
‘Fancy a dance?’ I said, taking his hands and giving him a jiggle. I side-eyed Leo and Brooke who were arm in arm with their backs to me. This was ridiculous. How was I meant to win at the silent disco if they weren’t even watching?
Arlo played along while I launched into the letters. Y-M-C-A. Y-M-C-A. Performing enthusiastically to no one in particular.
Arlo looked pained to interrupt. ‘I can’t be up here. Chef sent me to get some clotted cream.’ I took my headset back and released him into the wild with a thumbs up.
‘NO WORRIES! CHEERS!’ I shouted, re-immersing myself in the seventies as he gave me a hurried smile and ran off.
He must really hate dancing, or guests, or the Village People.
There were a couple of other greens nearby, so I wandered over and joined in.
The blending of solitude and togetherness made dancing with strangers less weird as we were all in the same green gang.
Minnie Riperton’s ‘Lovin’ You’ started playing and we joined arms and swayed together, mouthing the words to each other.
I was between two tall men, all three of us bobbing to a slightly different beat, until it struck me that I should be over there dancing with Brooke as well!
Maybe this was all part of the Amplify plan: to ply me and Heidi with alcohol then use Zach as a distraction while Leo cosied up to Brooke.
I switched my music channel to blue, painted on a smile and skipped over.
‘…which is why I think it’s about venturing into the unknown – but in safety,’ Leo said as I joined them, stopping abruptly when he saw me.
‘Talking shop at the disco? Surely not?’
‘I know, right?! He’s such a bore.’ Brooke giggled, nudging him.
Leo held his hands up. ‘Guilty as charged – I was just floating some ideas.’
I rolled my eyes. ‘Is that a boat joke?’
‘It wasn’t, but I’ll take it.’
His grin was infectious, full of cheekiness and confidence, and I felt myself being drawn in – even knowing I was being played.
Did he turn that same smile on with everyone to get what he wanted?
Did it matter? He was clearly doing it here: turning on the charm offensive as part of his pitch strategy.
I needed to stay focused on the task in hand. Now was not the time to get distracted.
‘I’m happy to step back if you want to chat some ideas through as well?’ he said. ‘In the interests of a fair process.’
‘How incredibly gallant,’ I said, with an edge.
‘Jesus, Leo, no! I don’t wanna hear any more ideas tonight, from either of you. Or while we’re on this trip, even. What’re you tryin’ to pull here? Save it for when we’re back in the office, where it’s calm and quiet. When we’re not drinkin’ and dancin’ and YELLIN’!’
‘That makes much more sense, Brooke, thank you.’ I nodded smugly. ‘And I promise there’ll be no sneaky idea-sharing from our side before that. You don’t want to be bothered with every passing thought we have.’
Brooke looked horrified. ‘Absolutely not.’
‘At Amplify, we like to involve clients in the ideation stage of the process as part of the team. It’s hands down the most efficient way to work.’ Leo sounded like he was reading off a ChatGPT script.
Brooke nodded enthusiastically, confusing us both. ‘Wonderful, Leo, thank you.’
‘Perhaps that comes under “ways of working” if you are appointed,’ I said, through gritted teeth. ‘Clients aren’t normally asked to think up the pitch ideas. They’ve got enough to do.’
Brooke glanced between the two of us.
‘It’s more about setting them up for success in the boardroom,’ Leo shot back, eyes flashing. ‘We like our clients to be a step ahead of their bosses when we present, so they have time to consider the work in advance.’
Brooke tilted her head in thought. ‘You both make good points.’
Leo and I eyeballed each other over Brooke’s head. He was kind of sexy in professional mode, using his powers of persuasion and a finely tuned turn of phrase to present his argument. NLP in full swing.
‘Then we’re all agreed,’ Brooke said, giving him a run for his money.
‘Yes,’ Leo and I said at the same time, then laughed.
‘Now if y’all will excuse me, I need to go to the little girls’ room.’ She flounced off, her silky kimono glittering in the lights, leaving us both feeling like winners.
‘Nice try, cosying up to the client and trying to get her on side,’ I said.
He frowned, exasperated. ‘Chill! We were just chatting and it came up. I want this to be a fair process too, you know. We’re the new boys, remember. We’re the ones on the back foot.’
‘It doesn’t feel like that.’
‘I’m also finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate with you constantly in my periphery.’
I tilted my head, confused. ‘Are you? In what way?’
‘In every way. This is why I don’t mix business and pleasure.’
‘Neither do I!’
‘At least we agree on that, then.’
I put my headphones back on and Leo’s face was a picture as I stormed off.
What was he even talking about? How dare he!
Did he expect me to disappear so he could wave his work willy at Brooke without challenge?
Cheeky bastard. He’d have to get used to me being in his periphery for another week or so, at least, whether he liked it or not.